The world has changed radically since I last spoke to you.  The devastating earthquake in Haiti has taken many lives and reeked havoc in a country that has struggled for many years. For me, the unfathomable situation in Haiti has provoked deep reflection and a call for action. Monetary support and prayer have constituted my immediate response to jump into action.

I realized, however, that this quake has shaken me in the core of my being. Uncomfortable and unsettling feelings and questions have arisen for me, as they tend to do at a time of major change that initiates a period of transition in our lives. 

I wonder if you are perhaps grappling with similar issues. Have the events in Haiti heightened some of your feelings of sadness, grief, anger, helplessness and more that may already be present in your life? How are you dealing with it? Where are your finding your support?

As it tends to happen when we get shaken up, seemingly random thoughts or ideas in seemingly random order pop up.  So here is what came next for me.

What risks, if any, am I willing to take to support others in need? Doctors without Borders or the Red Cross for instance, and countless other organizations, could not do the work if it weren't for individuals who are willing to give up their own comfort to assist others.

So, where does that leave me?  Where does that leave you?  I am aware, of course, that Haiti reflects to us the extreme situation and that we are surrounded with people in need all around us and all the time. In other words, we can look to make a difference wherever we are.

Two questions arose out of that realization. First, am I really willing to see and acknowledge what is going on around me? Many of us outside of Haiti certainly have been unaware or have not wanted to see what was happening in that country before this recent earthquake.

Second, assuming that I am somewhat conscious of the needs around me, how actively do I engage in attending to that need? Am I playing it 'safe' so I don't have to leave my comfort zone?

This thought process leads me to the next question. How would I look at life if I were the one in need? Maybe you are in need now or know of somebody that is. How does that affect your outlook on life? And what can you take from that experience and integrate into the present?

How will I look at life if all that I have and everyone I love around me is be ripped away from me? Will my beliefs change? Will I question, doubt or refute my previously held beliefs in the Divine? You can read for yourself in Invisible Connections what happened for me when my husband died suddenly and unexpectedly.

I have been struck by the images of Haitians desperate to congregate for prayer and singing together. What is your source of support and strength when you find yourself in a major transition in your life?

Would I, I wonder, become so absorbed by life's necessities, as we see and hear in such instances, that the need to survive overrules a sense of community and compassion for others? And truthfully, how much do I allow daily life to absorb me now?

I know I cannot answer all these questions as I will not know beforehand how I might respond in serious life-changing moments. 

What I can do, though, is this. I can take this opportunity to take inventory of my life and do a life review. I don't believe we can ever be fully prepared for whatever changes occur in our lives. However, we can find ways to come together so we can learn to cope with and eventually create personal meaning of the paradoxical nature of transitions in our lives. Will you join me? What do you think might emerge?

Are you truly content with your life on all levels? Is there room for improvement or change? Where is it YOU can take initiative to create change from the inside/insight out? Let's remember that the only power we have is the power over ourselves.  As Gandhi says, Be the change you wish to see in this world.

Are you living your life to the fullest?  Are you giving expression to who you really are? Are you INVESTING your thoughts, actions, emotions, time and energy into what is truly important to you as a human being that lives in community and not in self-centred isolation? Or are you wasting energy and time through agitation and worry about aspects of life that are either outside of your control or are pretty much irrelevant in the bigger picture?

These are but a few of the questions that have been percolating through me. I never know what else might bubble to the surface. I promise, though, to myself and to you, that I will continue to take the radical shake-up that Haitians have experienced to heart and into my heart.

May this be the time where Haiti can finally transform the burden of its history. Haiti now has so little left of the old exterior, its shell, that perhaps now true transformation,which must emerge from the insight/inside out, can now take root and grow.